X-Men: The Last Generation
by Dylan Wolf
Summary: Although I greatly enjoyed writing this story, I'm discontinuing it due to lack of interest. To those who did follow it, I thank you.
1. Prologue (Cast Notes)

X-Force

Arachne – May Parker – Spider Man & Black Cat – She inherited both her father's powers and her mother's probability effects, in addition to having six arms, and being able to fly and shrink to insect size – She has short, platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, an upturned nose and a fair complexion with a smattering of freckles. She has medium height and the athletic build of an inveterate tomboy. Unlikely to be described as ravishingly beautiful, she's nonetheless extremely cute – Her father was killed seven years ago in the Manhattan Massacre that killed most of the Avengers. Her mother got her out of the city and then out of the country. Felicia was killed a few years later when a job went extremely wrong and her famous luck finally ran out. May remained at the New Xavier Academy in the Australian Outback until the team decided to return to the US a year ago.

Askani – Scott Summers – Cable & Domino – He's a techno-organic cyberkinetic with temporal powers that make him the world's greatest warrior. He can slip in and out of time, as well as predict any action an opponent could take. Whereas his parents preferred guns, he prefers melee weapons - He's an albino with white hair and a black birthmark over his right eye in the form of a four pointed star. His skin is almost translucent and fine circuitry, wires and other mechanical amalgams can be seen faintly beneath it. His eyes are blank and colorless. He's blind, but in no way even the slightest bit hampered by the loss. He carries a small arsenal of weapons on his person at all times and is never unarmed; preferring melee weapons, but being equally skilled in creating ranged weapons of an extremely high tech nature – He was raised at the Xavier mansion and moved to Australia with the rest of the students when the feds moved on the school. His parents were on Muir Island when Sentinels attacked and turned the rock into a reef. Their bodies were never found, but there can be no doubt of their deaths.

Avenger – Nick Rogers – Captain America & Warbird – He inherited his mother's strength, agility, reflexes, speed, flight and seventh sense; as well as his father's shield. The rest of his abilities are all hard won skills. He does have circuitry in his duster that gives him access to dimensional pockets where he stores the shield and equipment when not in use. Finally, although nowhere near invulnerable, he is reasonably tough and heals quickly. Armor built into his bodysuit and duster helps as well – He's the spitting image of his father, right down to the blue eyes and blonde hair. His build is a little thinner and his hair is a little longer, but there's no way Cap could have ever denied the boy – He was raised at the Xavier Mansion and moved to Australia when the feds moved on the school in the wake of the Manhattan Massacre that claimed the lives of both of his parents. SHIELD managed to get his father's shield and got it to him just before they were thrown out of the US along with the UN. His godfather, Nick Fury, now runs the Academy in an attempt to redeem himself for the mistakes and unintentional betrayal that caused the destruction of the super hero community in the US among several other atrocities.

Dragon – Michael Rasputin – Colossus & Shadowcat – Transforms into a super strong and super tough winged flying metallic humanoid dragon. In the flesh, he's still pretty strong and can phase. When phased, he disrupts electronics and CAN disrupt living organisms. His phased touch can even kill. – He's a large, gentle young man with curly brown hair and hazel eyes; standing about six feet tall and weighing in the vicinity of two hundred pounds and still growing. In dragon form, he's more like twelve feet tall and weighs over half a ton. He has chromed scales like his father, massive wings that resemble Archangel's second set, claws on all four extremities, a powerful tail and a saurian head – He was born and raised on Muir Island, but was in Australia when the destruction of the island and the deaths of his parents caused the re-formation of X-Force against Fury's better judgment and express orders.

Lioness – Kate Wakandas – Storm & Black Panther – Cat girl with weather control powers in addition to her physical enhancements. She has a mild fear of flying, preferring to use her wind riding abilities to enhance her leaps and cushion falls. Her feet and tail are partially prehensile. Her preferred weather medium is lightning – She's a tall athletic young woman with silky black fur and a white mane that more closely resembles a mohawk. She has fangs, and claws on all four extremities. Her features are feline, but she has her mother's eyes – She's the princess in absentia of the nation of Wakanda. Her parents were killed in the coup that briefly turned the once peaceful nation into a brutal military dictatorship. Forces loyal to the king managed to get her out of the country before the borders were closed. She's been at the Australian Academy ever since; even though her older brother was able to reclaim the throne. To say the siblings don't get along would be an understatement. Peter Wakandas is a despot, but the people flourish under his rule. Kate doesn't agree with his methods, but knows that returning home would give cause to the resistance and the Panther Cult; which could trigger a civil war that would destroy the country she loves. As long as the king keeps his rule fair and the country healthy, she's agreed to remain in exile. He is the rightful ruler, after all.

Phoenix – C J Summers – Cyclops & Phoenix – Internal/External Psychokinetic and Spatial Manipulator. His powers include: Displacement, Teleportation, Spatial Awareness, Deflection/Reflection, Spatial Bending, Spatial Disruption and Spatial Shearing, as well as the normal Telekinetic abilities – He has red hair tinged with brown and green eyes. He's tanned and athletic, but by no means a jock. He wears glasses and his headset is designed to his prescription. When he becomes agitated, angry or distracted, he becomes rather difficult to look directly at. Doing so gives the observer a headache from eye strain - He was raised at the Xavier Mansion and moved to Australia when the feds moved on the school in the wake of the Manhattan Massacre. His parents along with several other X-Men died when US Special Forces, with Sentinel back up, attacked Genosha. The team fought a delaying action while others evacuated as many innocents as they could. More than a thousand mutants were alive due to their sacrifice. CJ is proud of their legacy, but would rather have them.

Predator – Rose Logan – Wolverine & Mystique – Hyper sensory, physically enhanced, regenerating shapeshifter with surprising control over her physical form. She can walk on walls and become invisible in shadows. She can even hide in plain sight if she has to, but the power isn't reliable. She doesn't have claws, but rather uses a specially energized adamantium katana – She can look like anyone she chooses to and become visually identical to them. In her default form, however, she has her mother's complexion and hair color, and her father's hairstyle. Her default form for mixing with society changes only her complexion. Whatever form she is in when she goes unconscious remains her form until she consciously changes it – Her father is believed to have died in Genosha. Her mother was never much a part of her life, but vanished and is presumed dead after her Raven Darkholme identity was exposed by Sentinel sensors. She could not care less about what happened to Raven, but has convinced herself that her dad could have survived.

Quicksilver – Cassie Stark – Iron Man & Scarlet Witch – Her liquid metal form is extremely malleable and resilient, and measurably faster than her uncle and namesake. She's physically enhanced and incredibly agile; a veritable living weapon – Her metal form is shimmering silver and liquid. Her flesh form is tanned, blue eyed and platinum haired. She has a gymnast's build and would have been one in another world. Small in stature, she's large in personality. Her eyes constantly twinkle with mischief barely contained – Her parents sent her to the comparative safety of the Xavier Mansion just before the Manhattan Massacre. She spent the next years training and preparing for what she always knew would be her life's work. They died heroes. She's determined to honor their memory by bringing an end to the people who killed them.

Seraph – Brian Worthington – Archangel & Psylocke – Winged telepath and healer who wields a powerful psi-sword – He has model caliber good looks, blonde hair, purple eyes and a California tan. His build is tall and thin, but athletic. His wings are pure white and feathered – His father insisted on remaining in the US and in plain sight in order to fight the government's assault on freedom. He was taken into custody, held on trumped up charges, tried convicted and executed before a rescue could be launched to save him. His death became a rallying call that unified and strengthened the then still nascent Resistance. His mother later died in Genosha, her death in the midst of battle being televised around the world.


	2. The Camp

X-Men: Last Generation

Chapter One

"The Camp"

The camp in the Mojave Desert region was new. Its designation was Epsilon Delta. The newest arrivals were hustled out of the ancient bus by soldiers who would just as soon kill them as look at them. Stumbling out the door with the others, the young woman registered as Anne Reynolds looked around; seemingly as scared and cowed as the rest of the prisoners.

Quickly and surreptitiously, Rose familiarized herself with several landmarks. Security was higher than they'd expected. They'd dealt with worse. As she was pushed and prodded through the processing center, Rose continued to evaluate her situation, noting several holes in their security that she could exploit when the time came if she needed to.

A few people ahead of her in line, a large man balked at being shoved. He turned angrily towards the guard who shoved him. He didn't even move before shots rang out from several directions at once and he was cut down. Once his dead carcass was dragged out, intake proceeded quickly and smoothly.

 _Object lesson,_ Rose mused. _One dead mutant and thirty more who now know what even the slightest hint of rebellion will get them. Lesson learned. I'll actually enjoy cutting some of these creeps down._

She carefully made sure her expression showed nothing but proper fear and respect. She had a lot to do before she could enact just retribution. Her records showed she had a bad leg, which would disqualify her for most work details. Her listed powers were so minimal they wouldn't waste a suppression collar on her. Her appearance was carefully chosen to make sure she wouldn't attract unwanted attention or favor from any of the guards, trustees or ward bosses. The last was more to protect the mission than for her own concerns. It also protected the guards, trustees and ward bosses.

Her records also showed her to be female, but a functional hermaphrodite without primary sexual organs. Prisoners were forced to strip naked, hosed off and given cavity searches before being given their new prison jumpsuits. No sympathy was given for the sex or age of the prisoner. Everyone was done together. The process was deliberately invasive and humiliating with crude comments, sexual innuendos, insults and laughter from the guards being not only permitted, but encouraged. Several women were reduced to tears, much to the amusement of the guards.

Rose had to separate herself from her body to keep from killing every guard in the place. She could have done it and even distracted herself during the process by plotting out how it would work. Unfortunately, her mission would fail if she did and several prisoners would be caught in the crossfire. There was no way to avoid it. She would wait, but she committed the names and faces of the worst abusers to memory. There would be retribution.

Exiting the processing center, the desert heat hit Rose like a physical force. The ground was hard earth, rock, concrete and sand, without a speck of green anywhere in sight. The only shade was next to or inside the barracks, but the temperature inside was ten to twenty degrees higher than outside. Of course, only the staff barracks and administration buildings had air conditioning. It wasn't even the hottest part of the summer and this place was already hell.

Limping along visibly and carefully, Rose made a circuit of the camp. She quickly identified her target. It wasn't difficult. It was the most secure building in the camp. Just a little more information and she'd be able to plan her attack.

"Hey, fish!" A tall, bulky prisoner with purple skin, tusks and a suppression collar shoved her. "What th' hell do you think y'r doin'?"

"Please." She made herself as small, cowering and pathetic as she could. "I'm not looking for any trouble. I just got here."

"This is Trolls' turf," he growled lasciviously. "You don't just wander around here without permission . . . unless y'r willin' t' pay th' toll."

"So sorry." She stumbled to her feet and backed away. "I didn't know. I won't do it again."

The Trolls were one of the gangs that invariably sprouted up in prisons. In this case, you needed to be big, brutal and ugly as sin to become a member. They were bottom feeders for the most part but had a network that reached throughout the Department of Prisons.

"Hey, Walrus," one of the Troll's friends called out laughing raucously. "Throw that one back. She's so small and scrawny that we'd break her in half if we claimed her."

 _I'd break YOU in half,_ she thought as she limped quickly away from the potential confrontation, almost smiling at the thought. _The only thing worse than the guards in camps like this are parasites like the Trolls. I'm half tempted to leave them behind when we liberate this place. Of course, CJ wouldn't let me. I do love that Boy Scout._

Back in safer territory, Rose made her way to the women's barracks where she'd been assigned. Inside she found several dozen dilapidated bunk beds; little more than wafer thin mattresses over cold metal frames, really. Looking around, she identified one that looked unclaimed and sat down. All that was left to do now was to wait. She couldn't really do anything more until nightfall.

She was about to lay back and conserve her strength for the night's activities when a middle aged woman with a shaved head and a pink Mohawk approached her. "Welcome to hell. I'm Ophelia. I'm the dorm matron here."

"Anne . . . Anne Reynolds." She rose painfully, appraising the woman who was covered in tattoos that moved on their own initiative.

"Take a load off, Anne." Ophelia sat down on the bunk next hers, seeing the pain in her eyes when she stood. "I'll fill you in on the rules the guards wouldn't have told you about."

Ophelia seemed decent enough; even helpful. The well-rehearsed introduction was even salted with key phrases no one would pay any attention to unless they were a member of the Resistance. Contact with the Resistance wasn't needed for this mission, but it couldn't hurt. Rose decided it would be worth the risk, but she had a few questions first.

Her body language changed imperceptibly. "I'm a little surprised I don't see any security cameras in here."

"Not worth the effort." Ophelia shrugged. "This is a low risk barracks. We're not even worth collaring. What could we plot?"

Looking around to make sure no one else was paying attention; Rose barely whispered one single word. "Excelsior."

Ophelia kept her expression carefully neutral. "We weren't expecting anyone. Who are you?"

"Special assignment," she permitted herself a hint of a smile, but kept her voice low and her lip movements minimal. "Who I am is irrelevant. I'll tell you when this is over. For now, you should know the Kellies have a cleansing scheduled for this camp on Thursday morning; a little over forty hours from now."

Cleansing was such a pleasant euphemism for mass execution of non-productive prisoners. Its meaning was fully appreciated by the other woman.

She swallowed uncomfortably. "I hadn't heard, but I'm not surprised. I assume that's not what your special assignment is, though."

"It could be, but it's not." Predator laid back, staring at the bottom of the bunk above her. "I have until tomorrow night to finish my mission and get you all out of here. What do you know about the bunker in the southeast corner of admin territory?"

"The Traskorp research lab? I'm not surprised that's your target."

"I didn't say it was." Rose smiled.

Ophelia nodded. "It's high security . . . and that's saying something for this place. Any prisoner that gets taken in there is never seen again. We call it the Black Hole. Other than that, it's a mystery. Not even the guards have access to it. Several members of the senior medical staff do, but even they need special ID cards and biometrics. That doesn't stop rumors, of course; particularly one about a certain unnamed high priority prisoner being held there"

It was no less than she expected, so Rose moved on. "How much of an internal network do you have?"

Ophelia shook her head. "Not much of one, I'm afraid. A rat exposed most of our people a few weeks back in exchange for a trusteeship in a much nicer camp. I hope they kill the bastard for his trouble. My cell was the only one that survived. The Kellies are damn good at interrogating prisoners. Even the most dedicated member of the Resistance has a breaking point. Some of our people decided death was a better option. Their sacrifice is the only reason any of us are left."

"Do you know who the collies are?"

"Most of them," Ophelia promised, "both survivors and traitors. Most are trustees, but not all; and not all trustees are collies."

Survivor was the term used to describe a collie, or collaborator, who was forced to work for the Kellies; most likely to protect a loved one. It wasn't much of an excuse, but garnered them a little more sympathy than a traitor who did it for money or favors, and didn't care about anyone but themselves.

"What about the gangs?"

"The Trolls are in the commandant's back pocket. The rat was one of them. The Brotherhood was all but wiped out when the Resistance was betrayed. Most of them were working with us. Even the ones who weren't Resistance members were brought in; guilt by association. The X-League never had much of a presence here and has even less of one now. The Zoo pretty much keeps to itself."

Again, nothing that wasn't expected. "I can't do anything more until tonight. Keep this under your hat for now. Don't even let your people know until . . . say, dinner tomorrow. We didn't plan on inside help, so focus on keeping innocents inside and out of the line of fire. We'll take it from there. Any questions?"

"What do you intend to do with us once we're free?" It was a good question and the first one Rose would have asked.

Rose smiled. "We're not going to just dump you in the desert, if that's what you're asking. The Underground Railroad is getting prepped to get you all to Mexico and from there to safety. I can't tell you more than that for security reasons."

Ophelia reached a conclusion. "There's only one faction in the Resistance with the clout, power and hubris to pull something like this off."

Rose looked at her, smiled, then rolled over and pretended to go to sleep.

Rose waited until two hours after curfew before heading out. Everyone else in the barracks was sound asleep, even Ophelia. Shifting into camouflage mode, she melded into the shadows and vanished. She had to rendezvous with the team and get supplied, then do some reconnaissance and make final preparation for the assault tomorrow night. Good thing her healing factor dealt with long nights and short term sleep deprivation.

The floodlights that swept the compound created lots of friendly shadows for her use. Even if they had caught her in one of them, they wouldn't really see her. She was taught by the best and her skills were backed by powers.

In a dark area between two buildings, there was a flicker of a spatial distortion and two young men in street clothes appeared. Rose was just entering the area when she spotted them. Right on time. The one was a well-tanned teen with brownish red hair, the second an albino with circuitry faintly visible beneath his skin.

"Hey, Scotty." Rose nodded to the albino, then stepped into an embrace with his companion. "Hey, lover. Did ya bring me a cake with a file in it?"

CJ kissed her with passionate affection, but quickly admonished her. "Protocol, love. We're in the field. Rose, Scott and CJ aren't here; Predator, Askani and Phoenix are."

She rolled her eyes. He was such a stick in the mud sometimes, but that was why she loved him. He complemented her; grounded her even. Of course, he felt the same way about her.

"I identified the Traskorp lab. Not hard to find. It's the concrete bunker in the farthest corner of the facility from the prisoners; the one with omega level security. No prisoner who goes in there ever comes out again, but gossip confirms what we heard about the 'unnamed high priority prisoner' they're holding."

CJ handed her a sports bag. "Here's your equipment. I assume you have somewhere to hide it. We'll start the assault at ten pm local time tomorrow, but don't get your hopes up."

She accepted the bag and nodded. "I know there's not a lot of chance he survived, but if anyone did, it's worth it. A lot of them are missing, like Askani's folks."

Askani shrugged. "Given the level of overkill the Kellies used in the Purges, a lot of MIAs are to be expected. The odds against any of them actually having survived are astronomical. There's no guarantee this prisoner is even connected to our parents."

Logically, Rose knew they were right. Unfortunately, her gut told her otherwise. She hadn't lied, though. It didn't matter who it was the Kellies were holding here. Their job was to liberate them. If the feds were willing to go to such lengths to keep this person, then she would do whatever it took to deprive them of him . . . or her . . . him . . . she knew it was him. It had to be.

"Whoever it is," she insisted, "he's vital to a major Traskorp medical research project involving organ transplants. I don't even want to think what that could mean."

CJ was sympathetic. "We all can imagine what it could mean. That's why we're doing this."

One more embrace and it was time for them to go. "We'll see you at the front gate in twenty four hours. Be careful."

"Be careful yourself," she muttered after they left.

Shouldering the bag, she shifted into the form of a generic female guard and pulled out an equipment belt with a side arm and stun baton attached to it. Properly equipped for her part, she headed towards the gate to the administrative compound. As she approached, she pulled an ID badge from the bag. It was a near perfect forgery that would give her access to any but the tightest security. Keeping her body language casual, she waved noncommittally to the guard in the shack and slotted the card in the reader to open the gate.

Even at ten pm, the compound was surprisingly active. The camp was a twenty four hour operation. It was far less lively during the hours after lights out, but there were more than enough people out and about to cover Rose's activities. She decided against trying to access the super secure research lab. It might work, but the risk was too high. The camp's infirmary, on the other hand, wouldn't be nearly as problematic.

As she approached the door, she scanned the area to make sure she wasn't being monitored by any cameras and shifted her clothing from guard to doctor, returning the belt to the bag. Once inside, she made her way through the halls until she found the office of the chief of medicine. Again, the card gave her access without delay.

Sitting down at the desk, she turned on the computer and took a thumb drive out of her bag. She was competent enough with programming, but nowhere near up to dealing with the levels of security on this desktop. With the help of this little drive, she didn't need to be. Once plugged in, it immediately took over the computer, giving her access to everything on any networks it had access to. Even stuff normally inaccessible on those networks was now available to her; giving her and more importantly, Scottie back at their temporary base, access to the entire US Federal Digital Network. Her needs were a lot simpler.

 _Gotta love Askani._ She smiled.

Of course, having access and knowing what to look for were two different things. It took Rose the better part of an hour to locate and alter the carefully hidden files that would schedule a complete security reboot at precisely ten fifteen pm the next night. Security wouldn't be down, but it would be vulnerable for approximately thirty minutes. This would give her team - - consisting of her, Askani, Arachne and Quicksilver - - that long to get in, find and liberate their target and get out. The other five members of the team, led by CJ, would deal with the guards and coordinate the evacuation of the prisoners.

If either team took longer than thirty minutes, they were hosed. There were a half dozen Omega Sentinel units at the camp and four of the big Alphas. They could deal with that kind of force easily enough. A facility with more than a hundred Sentinel units was about thirty minutes away, however. They needed to be finished and out of there before reinforcements arrived or there would be hell to pay.

After making sure she had a lock on the doctor's scent, Rose left the office undisturbed and headed back out into the administrative compound. It was approaching eleven pm, but she still had one more job to do. Sniffing the air, she separated the scents in her mind until she locked on the doctor's. Having shifted back into the guard façade, she kept her body language casually professional as she followed the trail to the officer's barracks where the man kept his quarters. She'd just identified his room when she heard the cry of a child come from another room.

Acting on a maternal instinct that was almost primal, Rose opened the door that was unlocked and found a partially clad officer and a naked child she remembered seeing on the bus earlier. The kid couldn't be more than eight years old. There was no thought as she closed the door behind her, pulled her sword from the bag and flawlessly removed the man's head. As soon as she did, she reverted to her normal form with the midnight blue skin of her mother and the wild brunette hair that closely resembled her father's famous do.

As she sat down and began to comfort the terrified child, she reached her mind out to her teammate, Brian Worthington. _Seraph? Lock on my position and tell Phoenix there's a problem. I need his help to get rid of a body._

A moment later, CJ appeared in the room next to her. He'd been prepared to be angry, but one look at the situation and he understood. With a silent nod, he hoisted the body to his shoulder and picked the head up by the jaw. Fortunately, Rose's sword cauterized the wounds it made, so there was no blood to clean up. He vanished, but returned quickly without the body.

"You okay?" His concern was obvious.

"Am now," Rose came back as she helped the child back into her jumpsuit. "We need to make the room look like he did the deed, then got bored, sent her back to the barracks and headed off to find some more entertainment nearby."

He nodded. "I brought an image inducer just in case. I'm about the right height, if not build. He left his keys and ID on his desk. I'll drive his car out and drive it off the road somewhere, then leave meandering tracks leading away that eventually vanish and don't reappear."

She smiled; leave it to CJ to come up with a plan for any situation. She kissed him and turned to look at the child, who was curled up in an easy chair. Her smile became sad at the thought of innocence lost far too soon.

Leaving her, they proceeded to stage the room and Rose couldn't help talking. "Her name is Jenny. She was on the bus with me this morning. She told me they killed her parents and sent her here. She doesn't even have any powers yet. They made her an orphan and locked her up because of what she might one day become. The more I see of this country today, the more I start to think Magneto may have had the right idea all along."

He took her in his arms. "You don't mean that. There are good and decent people in this country; normal humans who risk their lives every day to help us and even more that would, but are too afraid. The people responsible for all this are in the minority. They just happen to be the minority in power at the moment. We have to believe the dream is not only possible but the only acceptable option or we'll never survive this."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You say it so good, Boy Scout. As long as you don't give up, I won't."

"That's my girl."

"At least she wasn't raped," she frowned fiercely. "I got here before he got that far. He took a bunch of pictures of her. I deleted his memory card."

Once they were finished, she gently woke the child who had fallen asleep from exhaustion. "Jenny? I told you my name is Rose, but I'm using the name Anne while I'm here in camp. I need you to be real brave for a bit longer. I'm going to shift into the form of a guard, then escort you back to the barracks. We'll all be leaving here tomorrow night. Okay?"

The child nodded shyly, but bravely. She had moxie. Rose had to give her that. Most kids her age would collapse after half of what she'd been through.

Leaving CJ to wait about ten minutes before leaving himself, Rose shifted and they left the building, but were challenged at the inner gate.

"A little late for prisoner escort." The guard eyed the pair suspiciously.

Rose shrugged and smirked. "The major finished with her and didn't want her hanging around until morning. He told me to take her back to her barracks. I have pen patrol the rest of the night anyway."

"Who'd you piss off?" The guard grunted as he let them pass; obviously not expecting an answer and not caring.

After stashing the bag in a depression between two buildings and covering it with sand, Rose took Jenny to the barracks and reverted to Anne once they were inside. It had been a long night and Jenny was practically dead on her feet through a combination of stress, terror and exhaustion.

Rose took the child to her bed and whispered gently to her. "You can sleep with me tonight. I'll protect you. In the morning, I'll ask Ophelia to help look after you until we leave."

"What if they come looking for me again?" The fear in the child's voice was palpable.

"I'll take care of it," Rose promised with a wink as they lay down and Jenny curled up against her. "No one's going to hurt you again if I have anything to say about it . . . and I have a LOT to say."

In the morning before roll call, Rose pulled Ophelia aside and told her what happened to Jenny. "The kid's been through hell, but at least I was able to save her from a worse hell."

Ophelia nodded. "But what happens when they come to question her?"

Rose was prepared for that. "I'm a shapeshifter. Once roll call is over, we hide her and I take her place. At the very worst, they have me and she's safe."

Ophelia was still skeptical. "Won't that sabotage your mission?"

Rose smiled evilly. "Not at all. She's on the record as having been returned to the pens several minutes before the major drove out the main gate. I'll play the scared little girl bit. They'll figure I don't know anything soon enough and send me back. Worst case scenario, they decide to have some fun with a helpless child. If they make that mistake, she'll suddenly and traumatically manifest, turn into a monster and tear them apart before cutting a bloody swath through the camp and vanishing into the desert. I can't break the sound barrier, but on all fours, I can definitely outrun and outmaneuver the Omegas and Alphas they have here."

She paused. "This is just a variation on a contingency we already had planned for. We really do know what we're doing. Once I slip pursuit, my friends will get me back inside. They'll take Jenny and I'll resume my Anne identity for the rest of the day. They'll be looking for an outside threat, not an internal one."

Ophelia wasn't sure she was thinking this through. "What if they call in Sentinel reinforcements to hunt the escapee?"

Rose had considered that; rather CJ had. "They won't; not for one escapee, at least. The Kellies have procedures for just about everything. The odds of them breaking regs for one escapee are minimal. If for some reason, they do, we'll have to adjust. It will make our job harder, but by no means impossible."

Finally satisfied, the large matron nodded. "Sorry for all the questions and skepticism."

Rose laughed. "Nothing to apologize for. The lives of everyone in this place rely on us doing our jobs right. If nothing else, you helped me cement the whole plan in my mind, which can only be a good thing."

The plan worked to a point. They got through roll call and hid Jenny before heading to breakfast. Rose and several others stashed away food to give her later. Rose made sure to slip what she wasn't eating to Ophelia, which wound up being a good idea. A large male guard approached the table towards the end of the meal.

"You, kid." He pointed at her brusquely. "Come with me."

Rose turned to him and started to cry.

"What's wrong?" Ophelia asked.

The man grabbed Rose by the arm and jerked her out of her seat, then sneered at Ophelia. "None of your business, mutie."

The man ignored Rose's tears and pleas, shoving her in front of him. She didn't resist. By the time they reached the gate, she was appropriately cowed and down to sniffling. The guard took her to the administrative building and shoved her into an interrogation room, locking the door behind her. Rose was aware of the cameras in the room, so she stayed in child mode; squatting down in the nearest corner and quietly continuing to sniff and weep.

The interrogator was a dour young woman with captain's insignia. Rose stood up when the woman entered, wiping her eyes and nose on her sleeve. She stood there bravely, her bottom lip only quivering slightly; obviously afraid, but holding it together. Rose was a born actress; particularly when lives depended on it.

"You look a little dehydrated," the woman said professionally, but with just the right hint of faux sympathy. "I brought you something before we start our talk."

She handed Rose a juice box. "Go ahead. Take your time. I'll wait."

Rose complied. One taste and she knew what truth serum was in it. It didn't affect her, of course, but she knew how to fake it.

She drank thirstily at first, but then slowed down as the drug seemed to take effect.

When she was finished, she looked up at the woman. She swayed a little and smiled sloppily. The woman checked her irises, then nodded satisfactorily and began her questions.

Acting drowsy and relaxed, Rose gave the story she'd prepared in slow drowsy spurts interspersed with sloppy tears. She kept her vocabulary child level and described a terrible sexual assault. The woman didn't even blink, but Rose was pretty sure it was because she was too much of a professional to let it show. Her subject may be a mutant, but the molestation of a child pushed primal buttons in any person without definite social affective tendencies.

"What happened when he was finished?" She almost kept her personal feelings out of her voice.

"He called a guard." Rose let her eyes close and moved her mouth for a moment. "She took me back t' th' barracks an' I cried 'til I fell asleep."

"He was still in the room when you left?"

"Yeah."

"What was he doing?"

"Gettin' dressed."

"What was the name of the guard who took you back to the barracks?"

Rose acted like she'd gone unconscious at that point. The officer looked at her, shook her head with shame and disgust, then lowered her to the floor to sleep off the drug. The interview was over.

Several minutes later, a guard escorted Ophelia in. "Get her outta here. Put her to bed. She'll be fine in a couple hours."

Ophelia obeyed, gently carrying Rose back to the barracks. Once inside, Rose "woke" and jumped down to the floor, stretching her muscles in a very catlike manner as she reverted to her Anne form.

"It worked." She smiled. "They think he left of his own free will after sending Jenny back with a guard. When they check the inner gate log, they'll find an anomaly, but it will look like it was caused by a high ranking covert operative; possibly even a hound. It's rare, but not unusual, and they're so used to not getting answers when they question such operations that they've stopped asking."

Ophelia was appropriately impressed. "You kids in X-Force are nothing if not thorough."

Rose turned casually. "I never said I was X-Force."

Ophelia smiled. "And I never said I was in the Resistance."

"How's Jenny doing?" The change of subject wasn't subtle, but was final.

"As well as can be expected." Ophelia let it pass. "Kids are flexible and she's stronger than most. She's going to need a lot of the right kind of help, though, and soon."

Rose nodded heartfelt agreement. "She'll get it. We have a special school set up with skilled crisis and psychological counselors on staff. There are a lot of other kids her age there. I'm not going to say anything about it beyond that, so don't bother asking."

Ophelia wasn't put off. "Wouldn't expect you to. The fewer people who know about a place like that, the better."

"Where is she?" Rose looked around the room, but already knew Jenny wasn't there.

"We're hiding her in plain sight." Ophelia led her out of the building.

Not far from the barracks, about half dozen children were finding ways to entertain themselves under the watchful eye of some older prisoners. If she hadn't identified Jenny's scent almost immediately, she wouldn't have recognized her. She looked like a boy with a slightly larger build and definitely darker skin.

"Some of the more attractive girls who are willing to . . . 'earn' favors from the guards got some make up smuggled in," Ophelia told her. "We used some of it and some pillows and an over large hat to disguise her."

Jenny saw Rose, rather Anne, and ran over to her, but slowed down and approached shyly. Rose knelt down to hug her and pick her up. Neither said anything, but a strange bond passed between them.

"You're safe now," Rose said finally. "In an hour or two, we'll clean you up and you can go back to being Jenny. By tomorrow, we'll have you somewhere else; somewhere safe and nice and clean, with trees and flowers and other kids; a place where you can grow up without having to hide; where you won't have to worry about people like that major or the guards here or the Sentinels or hateful people."

Jenny looked up at Rose with wonder in her eyes. It sounded too good to be true; like a fairyland, but Rose had never promised her anything she hadn't done. At that moment, Jenny would have believed Rose could move heaven and earth itself. To her young mind, Rose had taken on a kind of angelic omnipotence. As long as Rose was right next to her, she would be fine.

Only when Rose left her with Ophelia for a few moments and vanished to retrieve her equipment bag did Jenny let her out of her sight. The rest of the day, she clung to Rose like she would to a life preserver in the middle of the ocean. Rose not only didn't mind, she understood and held onto the little girl almost as fiercely.

The day passed quickly. After dinner, Rose and Ophelia made the rounds of key individuals with Jenny in tow. Rose had a device in her bag that could shut down the suppression effect of the collars without alerting the Sentinels or guards.

"Your job is to get the other prisoners together and keep them safe." Rose told them. "I know your instinct is going to be to strike back against the guards and Sentinels, but you need to leave the fighting to us. We have a limited window and have everything carefully timed. Focus on keeping everyone else safe and out of the line of fire. We'll take it from there."

That night, when Rose put Jenny to bed, the child suddenly became terrified. "Don't leave me, Rose."

Rose hugged the crying child clinging to her. "I'll never leave you, Jenny. Even if you don't see me, I'll be making sure you're safe and happy. Right now, you just go to sleep. If you don't see me when you wake up, don't worry. I'll be there. Before the sun rises, you'll see me."

Rose sat next to Jenny until she finally drifted off, then got up, shifted into her guard form and turned to Ophelia. "Watch over her, O."

The large woman smiled. "You know I will. You watch out for yourself. If anything happens to you, she becomes my responsibility and I was a lousy mother."

Rose actually laughed lightly. "Not to worry. I'm indestructible. When we make our move, you'll know it. As the man said in that old movie: 'All bleeping hell will break loose'."

Ophelia nodded. "When we see it, we'll move as many people as we can to the barracks in the far northwestern corner of the camp. You'll have to forgive me if I forget to warn the Trolls."

"Leave 'em where they are." Rose agreed. "If they're smart, they'll keep their heads down. If not, let Darwin sort 'em out. Either way I won't lose any sleep. As for the collies, feces occur."

Ophelia's expression became rather vicious. "We'll take care of them. Don't you worry."

With a nod, Rose vanished and made her way to the gate for the last time. From there, she started her search for the camp's chief of medicine. She checked the officers' barracks first, but he wasn't there. Next, she checked his office and found him working late.

She knocked, then opened the door and shut it behind her.

He looked up from his desk; obviously unhappy at being disturbed. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, you'll help me, alright." She shifted to her real form.

He dived behind his desk and hit his panic button, but she simply stepped around the desk and lifted him by the collar. "I disarmed that last night. Not to worry, though. I'm not going to kill you. You're going to get me and some friends into the Traskorp lab. If you play nice and are cooperative, we'll leave you alive. If not, all I really need is your eye and your hand."

As the doctor swallowed loudly, Rose projected a thought to the rest of the team. _I have our key. I'm ready to move on schedule. I'll see you at the door._

As a wordless confirmation touched her mind, she checked the time. She was fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. "You might as well have a seat. We're ahead of schedule."

She set his phone to go straight to voicemail, then returned to her guard form and sat down across the desk from him. "If you get any visitors, any attempt to alert them will only result in both your deaths, so don't get stupid."

"You'll never get away with this." He tried to sound brave.

"We already have." She smiled. "It's all over but the shouting. You're about to be out of a job. I'm sure you'll land on your feet. The Kellies will always have a position for a loyal racist like you."

"I'm not a racist." He was indignant. "I'm a realist."

She wasn't impressed. "Keep telling yourself that. You have a patient in that lab that is being tortured every day in the name of medicine. I've seen your files. Do you even remember taking the Hippocratic Oath?"

"How dare you judge me?" Now he was livid. "You have no right. You're not even human."

She wasn't about to let him get to her. "Keep it up. With every word, you're making the option of just taking your hand and your eye more and more appealing."

That shut him up and the next ten minutes passed quietly. "Time to go. We're going to walk calmly over to the facility where some friends of mine are going to join us, then you're going to get us inside."

"There are cameras," he insisted. "They'll never let us in."

She lifted him from his seat. "The cameras will show exactly what we want them to . . . assuming they're even still working in the system reboot that just started. Do your job and let us worry about the rest."

When they reached the lab bunker, the others were waiting. Askani was invisible to technology and took control of the cameras with a thought. He could have done the same with the security system, but even with most of the system disabled, there was an extremely small chance that using powers to do so could set off an alarm that would alert the Sentinels. It was even less than the chance that a cadaver hand and eye wouldn't work, but they weren't taking any unnecessary chances.

"You're up." She shoved the man she refused to even think of as a doctor forward. "Do it right. If you screw around, my albino friend will know and I'll kill you, then he'll take over and we'll get in anyway."

As their prisoner entered his passwords and biometrics, the other two members of the team stepped out of the shadows. Quicksilver's body was liquid metal. She moved with impossible grace and blurring speed. Arachne had six arms. She wore a variation on her father's famous costume with reversed colors, golden web lines in the design and a golden X on the spider emblem.

Askani was now wearing tech body armor that was bristling with an array of modular melee weapons. He was also carrying a large high tech energy rifle and had a high tech pistol on his hip, but she knew he far preferred to do his fighting up close and personal.

By the time the door opened, Rose was in her own costume, a sleeveless red leotard with a white gun belt that had a golden X buckle. She had a high tech pistol on her hip and her sword in a white leather sheath on her back.

When the door opened, Rose turned to the other two girls. "You're up."

Arachne lifted off the ground and shrunk to insect size, while Quicksilver flowed through the door like water. Inside, two guards manned the front desk. They were well armed and wearing body armor, but looked bored out of their minds. Before either even realized they were in danger, the first was gagged with webbing and the second was wrapped in Quicksilver. By the time Askani, Predator and their captive entered and the door closed behind them, the first was webbed to the wall and the second was unconscious from oxygen deprivation. Rose took a hypo-spray from her belt and tossed it to Quicksilver who quickly injected the second guard to make sure he stayed asleep, then tossed it back, so Rose could inject the doctor.

Askani mentally checked the time. "We're well within the parameters of our schedule. I downloaded the building layout from the computer. I also confirmed that there are six people in here with us. I've used the halon fire extinguishers to incapacitate four of them. The last two are in the room with our target."

Predator nodded as the building was rocked by a sudden clap of thunder, signaling the beginning of the main assault. "You have point, Askani. Same play as before when we get there, Arachne and Quicksilver take out the hostiles. This time go for KO not subdual."

Outside, the rest of the team focused on the powerful Alpha Sentinels first. Kate Wakandas, called Lioness, fried the first with lightning, the actinic light illuminating her black furred felinoid form and causing her platinum mohawk-like mane to flair as sparks flew from eyes that strongly resembled her mother's. Unlike her mother, however, she preferred to stick closer to the ground and limited her wind riding to enhancing leaps and cushioning landings.

The nearly three story tall robot was sparking, but not quite down, so Seraph shouldered a missile launcher as he hovered in the air and shot a Stinger through its chest. Several smoking robot parts hit the ground even before the discarded launcher as Brian manifested the powerful psi-sword that was his birthright.

On the other side of the compound, Michael Rasputin phased through the chest plate of a second Sentinel, then transformed into the massive armored form that earned him the call sign Dragon and solidified forcefully. The robot exploded, leaving the twelve foot tall winged and armored humanoid dragon in its place.

Two were down when Nick Rogers, call sign: Avenger, threw his father's shield through the head of a third backed by his mother's strength. As the Alpha fell, he pulled a nine inch long device from his duster and clicked a button on it, causing it to expand into a Shi'Ar javelin. With practiced accuracy, guided by the Seventh Sense he inherited from Carol Danvers-Rogers, he threw the weapon, which was arcing with electricity into the hole made by loss of the head, where it fried and fused the internal workings of the machine, triggering several internal explosions and rendering it unsalvageable.

At the same instant as the other three attacks, Phoenix appeared in the air behind the last Alpha and rapid fired four discs of energy. The first sheared off the robot's head. The second cut diagonally through its chest. The third cut diagonally at an opposite angle through the lower torso and the last took it out at the knees. Where the discs hit, space itself was warped so that pieces of the Sentinel were scattered across an area the size of a football field.

Five seconds into the attack, nearly a billion dollars' worth of Alpha Sentinels were scrap. The liberation of the camp was just getting started and the four most powerful defenders were already down. That left only the six Omega Sentinels and several dozen armed guards.

Suddenly, a blast of plasma shot up from the ground, striking Phoenix in the back. CJ didn't even react. The blast was immediately and automatically reflected back at the Omega Sentinel that fired it, destroying the woman's arm. He turned around and fired a disc that cut her in half, but five others were rising from the camp. The fight continued.

Outside the facility, Lioness called up a series of tornadoes that proceeded to tear the twenty foot high, electrified, razor wire topped exterior fence off the entire front of the camp, spreading small pieces of metal over miles of desert.

The remaining five Omegas were rising in formation; a mistake they would soon regret. Avenger hurled his shield with incredible force, causing it to bounce back and forth off the flying Sentinels several times, knocking them out of the air before returning to him. The units were now stunned and vulnerable to his comrades.

Dragon moved in and grabbed two Omega Sentinels. He phased them into each other, then let go. The resulting explosion as two bodies tried to solidify in the same space was quite impressive. He immediately moved on to make sure the guards in the prisoner containment area didn't decide to take hostages or kill prisoners.

Lioness finished off the remaining three Omegas; wrapping them in a tornado. Inside the spinning vortex, lightning and razor sharp hail systematically shredded the cyborgs. By the time she was through, nothing was left of the trio.

In the meantime, Seraph was dancing with the guards. Diving and juking between sprays of automatic weapons fire, he psi-blasted several and sliced through several others with his sword, which had pretty much the same effect, but measurably more intense. He left a swath of unconscious and comatose soldiers in his wake, while managing to avoid even a grazing hit.

At the same time, Avenger waded in; going unarmed against individual targets, but using his shield to cut down emplacements and guard towers. The fight was over in less than five minutes.

CJ changed frequencies on his comm. "Engineer to Conductor. The station is clear. Bring it in."

A surprised voice responded. "That was fast, Engineer."

CJ nodded. "We don't get paid by the hour. We'll have the passengers ready by the time you arrive."

He turned to the others. "Good work, team. Let's finish strong."

Back in the bunker, Arachne and Quicksilver made quick work of the two techs on duty, clearing the way for Predator and Askani to move in without having to use their decidedly deadlier attacks. Although X-Force, like its predecessors, wasn't nearly as bothered with a body count as their parents were, they still didn't kill if they didn't have to. In the whole mission, other than the Sentinels, only two or three soldiers died in explosions of ordnance they were manning.

When Rose first saw the prisoner, her heart fell. She wanted to scream in frustration. It wasn't her father.

"Creed." She put an incredible amount of frustration, anger and disillusion in that single word.

"Hey, Rosie." His voice was weak and oddly gentle. "Sorry to disappoint you."

She turned away to hide tears. "Of all the people in the world, why'd it have to be you?"

"Been asking myself that for years." He laughed raggedly. "Came to realize it was karma for all the people I hurt and killed over the last century."

She turned back to him in shock and rage. "Cut the repentant act, Vic. We both know you're a remorseless killing machine."

There was genuine sadness in his eyes. "People change, kid; even monsters like me."

Cassie Stark looked at the naked man who was held spread eagle by shackles that went from just above his wrists and ankles to just above his elbows and knees. "Psychopaths don't."

"Funny story, that." His voice was full of self-loathing. "For the longest time, I was like a raging monster held in a cage and repeatedly poked with sticks. One day - - it's hard to tell time around here, but it had to be a year or more back - - they decided they wanted to take some brain tissue to study. Unlike the runt, I no longer have adamantium bones, so they cut my head open and took out a sizable piece of my brain . . . maybe they even took the whole thing for all I know. I can't explain it, but when the tissue grew back I'd changed. That's when I realized that everything they were doing to me was nothing compared to the pain and suffering I caused and reveled in."

"Victor Creed found religion?" Rose's voice was full of skepticism and sarcasm. "I don't believe it."

He came as close to a shrug as he could given his restraints. "Don't blame ya. I can't see how God could forgive me either, but I've been praying constantly since that day; praying for a chance to get out of here so I could try to balance the odds a bit. Now, you're here."

Rose desperately wanted to not believe the man who was technically her uncle. Every sense and every bit of training she had, however, told her he wasn't lying. She had to be sure.

"Arachne, Quicksilver, head out and help the others."

 _CJ?_ Her confusion must have made it into her mental voice.

 _What's wrong?_ He picked up on it immediately.

 _Nothing._ She assured him. _May and Cassie are coming out to help. I need you and Brian in here right now._

When the pair appeared and saw Creed, CJ understood. He wanted to take Rose in his arms right then and hold her and let her cry it out. There would be time for that later, however. Right now, he needed to remain professional.

"Askani," he turned to the young man who was more a brother than a nephew. "Report."

Scott filled CJ and Brian in quickly, then Rose spoke up; her voice cold and emotionless. "Seraph, we need you to do a deep scan on him. Is he telling the truth? Has he really changed? Is it safe to release him?"

Victor didn't even try to struggle as Brian approached him and gripped his head between both hands. The two just stood there for several minutes, staring into each other's eyes. When he backed away, Brian was shaking his head in disbelief.

"His mind is so incredibly different from anything my mum described to me," his voice was filled with wonder. "He really is what he seems. His conversion and repentance is real. He's honestly repulsed by the man he was. It's the most amazing thing I've ever experienced."

CJ knew it was his decision. "Askani . . . release him. Let's get out of here. They always have a self-destruct in places like this. Set it. I want this bunker to be turned into a crater. How many people are there in here?"

"Nine." Scott was already mentally programming the system after having downloaded everything to a secure server for later study. "All unconscious."

CJ nodded. "We'll take them with us when we pull out. Dead racists can't learn from their mistakes. If we're giving Sabretooth a second chance, we might as well give them one."

Creed climbed carefully down from the rack and slowly, painfully started moving for the first time in years. "What year is it?"

Askani told him the date and Victor shook his head. "Six years . . . they held me for six years. Thank you doesn't even begin to say it."

"How functional are you?" CJ asked.

"Nothing a good steak and a few days of physical therapy won't fix," Creed told him, "but I'm functional."

"Can you fight?"

Creed took a pair of pants off the larger of the techs and pulled them on. They fit him around the waste, but the man had been short and portly, so they barely came past his knees. No matter. They were better than being naked.

"If I have to for survival, probably; not well, but probably. Beyond that, I swore some time ago that I'll never again take another human life. I've taken far too many. It's one of the things I promised God."

CJ understood. "Stay with the prisoners, then. If anything happens to us, you may be their only chance. We're not expecting any trouble from this point, but I believe in being prepared."

"You gotta be Cyclops' kid." Victor grabbed the collar of one of the techs and dragged him towards the exit.

"Easy guess." With no sarcasm in Creed's tone, CJ accepted the compliment.

Outside, Vic looked over the gathered young heroes. "I don't mean to be cruel, but I'm guessing not a lot of the old guard is still around."

Rose, having recovered quite a bit, shook her head. "No. The Kellies and their Sentinels were extremely thorough. There are a precious few we know are alive and several who we have no proof either way. We heard Traskorp was holding a key prisoner here and using them for some kind of experimentation. We came here hoping to find my father . . . at least I did."

Creed nodded with great sympathy. "I musta been a real let down."

"I'll survive." She shrugged bitterly.

"You should know," he told her. "He _is_ alive. At least he was a few months ago before they moved me to this hellhole."

She looked at him with speechless disbelief. Could it really be true? As much as she'd convinced herself they were going to rescue him, only to find Creed instead, her last hope had been completely dashed. She was finally prepared to accept the fact that her father was dead. Now, this? The psychological whiplash was almost unbearable.

Creed continued. "I don't have any idea where he is now or even where we were before I was brought here, but the runt and I are a lot more alike than either of us ever wanted to admit; too tough t' kill and too stubborn t' die."

Rose didn't know what to do, so she did the last thing she'd ever dreamed possible, she hugged Sabretooth and let him hold her while she cried into his chest. When CJ saw them, he didn't know what had happened, but he saw genuine sadness, pain and sympathy in Creed's face.

Seeing CJ's curiosity, Vic said two words. "Logan's alive."


	3. The Academy

X-Men: Last Generation

Chapter Two

"The Academy"

Fifteen minutes into the assault on the camp, they were slightly ahead of schedule as a convoy of vehicles arrived to pick up prisoners. Once she recovered her composure, Rose actually thanked Creed.

"This doesn't make up for everything you've done," she told him, "but thank you. If you really intend to make amends for all the evil you did, we'll give you more than a chance. If you backslide even once, I'll remove your head, then chop your body into little bits and spread those bits around three different volcanoes."

He simply nodded and went off to help wherever he could.

Rose's next first thought was to find Ophelia and Jenny. When she found them, Ophelia was sitting in a chair, rocking the sleeping child.

"She slept through the whole thing." She smiled as she passed Jenny to Rose. "You're good to your word. Thank you . . . for everything."

Jenny chose that moment to wake up and hugged Rose tightly. "You kept your promise. I love you, Rose."

She wiped a tear from her eye with a free hand. "Love you too, kid. Now, we're going to get you to somewhere safe."

Jenny had already fallen back asleep.

The prisoners were divided into small groups and loaded into cars, vans, buses and any other vehicle the Resistance had been able to get their hands on. Each vehicle was equipped with masking technology that would make it invisible to satellite imagery and Sentinel mutant sensors. They left the prison and headed off in more than a dozen different prearranged directions.

As the prisoners started on their trips, the prison staff was locked in the camp hospital and the doors welded shut. The windows were already barred, so they'd be secure until someone came and released them. All the others buildings were rigged to blow the second Sentinels arrived on the scene. The battle cry, "Remember Muir Island" was carved in massive letters deep into the hard ground. The nine members of X-Force, plus Sabretooth and the sleeping child, were the last to leave. CJ teleported everyone away as Sentinels and reinforcements began to appear on the northern horizon.

Leaving shortly before midnight, they appeared in an isolated section of the Australian Outback in mid afternoon the following day. It was winter in Australia where it had been summer in Mojave. The change was pretty intense, but Sabretooth and, because of their insulated uniforms, the team were immune to temperatures. Jenny wasn't, however, so Rose rushed her into the Helix, a high tech complex built on the location of the Reaver base the X-Men used for a time.

Nick Fury was there to greet them and he wasn't happy. Despite the effects of the Infinity Formula, the years were starting to tell on Nick. His hair was completely white. His skin was weathered and wrinkled and he now walked with a cane. The power of his personality, however, was undiminished.

"Report." He nearly bit through the unlit cigar in his teeth.

CJ stepped forward. "The camp has been liberated. The child is an orphan with enough potential that the Kellies were afraid of her. Sabretooth was the patient they were using in their organ transplants. We ascertained that through extreme events, he's no longer a threat. He's already confirmed that although he wasn't at that camp, Logan is still alive. Otherwise, the mission was completed according to plan."

"Fury." Vic nodded greeting.

"Creed." Nick scowled. "I don't know how you convinced these kids that you've turned over a new leaf, but you better have one helluva story."

After listening to Victor's story, Nick just shook his head. "And you kids buy this?"

Brian interjected. "I did a deep scan of his mind, sir. He's changed. My mum shared her memories of Creed's mind when she taught me how to tell a psychopath from a normal person. His mind couldn't be much more different than it is."

Creed looked Fury in the eye. "I understand if you don't want me staying here. I have no idea where this place is beyond somewhere most likely in Australia. Teleport me anywhere you want and I'll make my way from there. I don't know what God has planned for me. All I do know is that I've got a lot to make up for, but I don't want to cause you any problems in order to do it."

Nick considered. "I guess ya can stay a few days . . . under lock 'n key until we figure out what t' do with ya."

Creed's response surprised everyone. "That's fair."

Leaving the others to their debriefing, Rose took Jenny, who was now awake and wide eyed with enchantment and wonder at the place where she found herself.

"Welcome to the Helix, kiddo," Rose told her. "I have a couple people for you to meet. I think the three of you are going to be great friends."

In one of the common rooms of the facility, two girls were happily playing with dolls when the pair entered.

"Aunt Rosie!" The girls leaped to their feet and ran to welcome her home and update her on everything they did while she was gone.

"It's so good to see you guys again." Rose hugged the pair fiercely. "I have someone I want you to meet. Jenny, this is Raven LeBeau and Clarisse Wagner, but we call her Charlie. Raven's mom was my adopted sister. Charlie's dad was my half-brother and my dad's best friend. I've been looking after them since their parents died. Girls, this is Jenny. She's going to be joining the family. She's been through a rough time. I hope you'll make her feel welcome."

Raven was nine. She had her mother's white scalp lock and her father's red eyes. Charlie was six and resembled her father. They immediately invited Jenny to play with them. In minutes, they were just three normal little girls playing with dolls. The resilience of youth never stopped amazing Rose. Since she was only fifteen; that included her own resilience.

She let the girls bond for about a half hour, before stepping in. "Okay, girls. I'm going to take Jenny for a while, get her cleaned up and get her some decent clothes. We'll all get together at dinner, okay?"

The two said their goodbyes and Rose took Jenny to her own quarters. "What would you think about a nice hot bubble bath?"

"Really?" The child's enthusiasm and gratitude for even the smallest pleasures was both wonderful and tragic. "I'd love it. I didn't think I'd ever be clean again."

Rose poured the bath, but Jenny made no move to get undressed. Rose was pretty sure she understood why.

"Tell you what." She knelt down next to the girl. "I'm going to go get you some clothes to wear. You can go ahead and lock the inner door. Wrap yourself in a towel when you're finished. There will be some clothes waiting for you in the outer bath. I'll be in the main room when you're ready to come out. If you want, I'll even brush your hair for you. That work?"

Jenny hugged her and nodded.

"By the way, are you a girly girl, a tom boy or somewhere in between?" Rose asked as she headed out the door.

"Tom boy all the way," Jenny responded emphatically.

"Girl after my own heart," Rose said as she closed the door behind her.

Alone for the first time since losing her parents, Jenny shed the clothes she'd been given at the camp and left them lying in a heap on the floor of the outer bath, then went into the separate room containing the tub and locked the door behind her. Lowering herself carefully into the water, she just leaned back and enjoyed the warmth for several minutes before finally giving in and letting the tears she'd been holding in abeyance flow. It was as cleansing for her soul as the hot soapy water was for her body.

When she peaked out the door a half hour later, the outer door was closed, the clothes she'd taken off were gone and a brand new pair of jeans and a tee shirt were waiting for her along with new underwear, socks and shoes. She put them on, then came out with her hair still wrapped in a towel. Rose was waiting patiently.

"Feel better?" She smiled.

Jenny nodded and climbed into Rose's lap so she could unwrap and brush her hair. Rose brushed the eight year old's long straight brown locks gently and thoroughly. She brushed it until it shone, then tied it in a pony tail.

"Hope that will do," Rose told her. "I'm terrible at doing braids. I want to braid my hair, I just shapeshift."

"That's fine." Jenny laughed and hugged her yet again. "I don't like braids, anyway."

"Okay," Rose sobered, "now a couple more people want to meet you. We have a very nice medical bay here with a very nice doctor manning it. His name is Hank and I can promise you've never met anyone quite like him. He's going to want to get a look at you to make sure you're healthy after everything you've been through. Have you been able to visit a doctor before?"

Jenny seemed reluctant, even a little fearful. "No. Mommie always took care of me if I got sick."

"I promise," Rose held the child. "You'll like Hank. Anyway, I'll be there with you the whole time."

That encouraged Jenny. She still wasn't sure, but if Rose said it was okay, she'd at least try.

Rose took the child's hand and led her down to the med bay. There, a tall, black woman in a lab coat awaited them; Hank McCoy. Years before, a dimensional doppelganger captured Hank and a friend of the X-Men, Det. Charlotte Jones. He used a machine to switch their personalities, then killed Charlotte in Hank's old body. The Dark Beast, died a short time later; the consequences of his extensive experimentation on himself. Hank was left to adjust to a new body that was both female and no longer mutant. He'd adjusted pretty well.

"Hello, Jenny," he said in his best friendly tone. "I'm Hank."

When Jenny looked at him askance, he laughed. "You think you're confused, think how I feel every time I wake up and see myself in the mirror. I used to think I understood what women went through, but I didn't even have an inkling until I found myself in this body. Seriously, I don't see how you girls survive. Just learning how to wear a bra was a chore."

Rose smiled. "Hank used to be a man, but someone bad put his mind in this body. Now he's stuck with it. I could have told you he was a lady doctor, but I didn't want to lie to you."

With the ice broken, Jenny relaxed a little and the exam went without incident. When it was over, Hank gave Jenny a sucker and Rose sent her out of the room.

"Wait for me outside, honey. Dr. McCoy and I need to talk for a minute. I'll be right out."

When Jenny was out of the room, Hank smiled at Rose. "She's a surprisingly healthy little girl. She _will_ need serious counseling after all she's been through. I recommend Anna Kaufman. She specializes in cases like Jenny's. As for the other matter, I agree with the government's assessment. Jenny has the potential to become an Omega class mutant; on the level of Jean Grey, Professor Xavier or Magneto. Only time and puberty will tell how that mutation manifests."

Before rejoining Jenny, Rose called the counseling center and found that Anna was actually free and could see Jenny right away. The sooner the better, as far as Rose was concerned.

"Okay, kiddo," she told the little girl when she joined her in the hall. "I have one more person I want you to meet. Her name is Anna. She's real nice and she's had a lot of experience helping little girls who have been through things like what happened last night. Do you think you'd like to meet her?"

Jenny was feeling a little overwhelmed. "I guess."

Rose hugged her. "She's the last one today, I promise. We can even wait and see her tomorrow if you want. I just thought that the sooner you had someone to talk to who could help you, the better. You don't even have to say anything to her if you don't want to, but she has a lot of cool things for you to do in her office."

Jenny shrugged shyly. "Okay."

At the counseling center, Rose introduced Jenny to Anna Kaufman, an older matronly woman with laugh lines in her face, kind gentle eyes and the kind of personality that could set the most nervous person at ease. Rose stayed with them for a few minutes until Jenny seemed to be relaxing, then kneeled next to the chair where she sat drawing.

"I have to go meet with my team, Jenny," she said. "Is it okay if I leave you with Anna for a while? I'll be back before you know it."

There was a hint of fear in Jenny's eyes, but she felt almost as safe with Anna as she did with Rose, so she nodded and kissed her on the cheek.

Anna Kaufman was a mutant with the empathic power to make people feel at ease. This power worked particularly well with children, making her a natural counselor. Rose knew Jenny would be safe with her. She needed to check in with CJ.

She found Phoenix right where she knew she would, in the war room with Fury and, surprisingly, Creed. They were looking over a holographic map of the US East Coast.

"You figure he's being held on the east coast?" She walked up and studied the display. "Makes sense."

Creed nodded. "Given the length of the flight from where they were holding me to that camp in Mojave, I can't be positive, but I'm pretty sure I was being held on the east coast the last time I saw the runt."

CJ nodded agreement. "If they're using both of you for transplants, it makes sense to have one on either coast; reduces the transit time for the organs. Count on the Kellies to be macabre and practical at the same time."

He turned to Rose. "How's Jenny?"

She smiled. "I introduced her to Raven and Charlie. They're already bonding and I think they're going to be good for each other. Hank saw her and gave her a clean bill of health. He also confirms she has the potential to become an Omega class mutant. She's with Anna Kaufman right now."

He nodded and she turned back to the subject. "There are a thousand places they could be holding him east of the Mississippi. Traskorp facilities, government labs, internment camps, private medical centers, you name it. There's one place, however, that will have the information we need to find him."

CJ shook his head adamantly. "No. It's too high of a risk."

Creed looked at them a little confused, so Rose explained. "Traskorp Plaza in Manhattan. It used to be Four Freedoms Plaza. Now it's corporate headquarters for John Trask and his Sentinels. Johnny boy's the grandson of Simon Trask, who was old Bolivar's brother. John's dad was killed by a Cassandra Nova, Xavier's crazy twin sister, when John was still a kid. He never leaves the top floors of the building and runs all operations from there. The corporate mainframe, Master Mold, is even housed there."

"It's the most secure building in the world," CJ added. "No one's ever even come close to cracking it. It's suicide to try. Cracking the Zero Tolerance division of the Homeland Security headquarters in Arlington would be easier. For that matter, not even the White House has Trask's level of security."

She nodded agreement, but added. "Unfortunately, we can't guarantee that DHS or even the White House knows Trask is holding my dad. Among his many other flaws, the man is paranoid to the extreme. He doesn't trust anyone; least of all someone with power over him."

Creed thought. "I was unconscious half the time, but I don't remember ever seeing anyone I could say was a government rep. I can usually smell one of them at a hundred yards."

"It makes sense," Fury agreed. "The Kellies and other genetic purists in the federal government would have kittens if they found out Traskorp was putting mutant organs in baseline humans."

CJ considered that. "It fits with what we know. The public statement on the organs supplied for the transplant program said they were using cloned tissue from adult stem cells. We thought it was just propaganda for the populace, but it would fit Trask's hubris to keep the government in the dark as well. The man talks the party line, but the only thing he really believes in is his own bottom line."

Rose appealed to Fury. "All the more reason to at least consider targeting Traskorp Plaza. It could be our only shot."

Fury nodded. "You have a plan?"

"I'm not much of a strategist," Rose admitted. "I've always been more of a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl. I do have some ideas, though. We identify a target who works in the building; someone with the position and authority to access computer records, but not so high up in the echelon that they're too closely watched or qualify to have bodyguards. We study him or her until I know them well enough to fool their own mother. We put them on ice, then I take their place. Once inside, I find a way to give Scott access to the system and we find where they're holding my father. Once done, I leave early and we release the person I replaced none the worse for wear and with a set of false memories."

CJ was impressed despite his reservations. "As plans go, it has more holes than Creed's last victim, but it's not a bad start. I still don't like it and want to find another way, but if there is no other way, we could make it work."

Rose kissed him. "See. I'm not half as crazy as I act."

He snorted. "Yeah. Right."

She changed the subject. "So, what are we gonna do about our new guest here?"

Fury looked at Creed. "We put him in quarters in one of the sub-basements. It's not quite a cell, but the only door is secured from the outside and the walls are reinforced. For the time being, anytime he leaves those rooms, he's to be accompanied by an adult staff member."

Creed shrugged. "It's light-years better than what you kids saved me from, so I'm not complainin'. A comfortable bed, my own bathroom, three squares; better 'n I deserve."

Rose smiled. "My dad used to say life's all about second chances. If you can change, Creed, there's hope for anyone."

That night at dinner, the girls joined Rose and CJ at a table in the bustling cafeteria. Jenny was a little nervous at first, but everyone seemed so nice and unlike at the camp, the food was plentiful and delicious. She ate a lot; more than she probably should have and wound up with a slight tummy ache. Rose gave her a candy antacid and she felt better.

After putting the three girls to bed in the room adjoining Rose's, CJ took her out to decompress. Cassie happily agreed to sit with the girls until they got back. Dressed warmly and with Rose in her default human disguise, they appeared in the mouth of an alley in the Fremantle district of Perth.

"We just had dinner, stud," she quipped. "Not that I'm complaining, but I couldn't eat a bite."

He smiled. "Not even a sundae from that little ice cream shop down the street?"

She laughed. "CJ Summers, you're pure evil. You know I can never turn that place down."

"I can't think of a better place to celebrate surviving another successful mission." He took her arm and they strolled the brisk, clear, breezy night. "You did above and beyond."

"Save it for the debriefing," she asked. "Tonight, for just a little bit, I want to forget that we're mutant heroes and freedom fighters and just be a couple of teenagers out for a stroll and some ice cream."

"I can do that," he responded hopefully.

It is said of those to wear the X that you can usually tell where they've been by following the trail of debris. Although Australia was one of the few places in the world where mutants weren't only accepted, but embraced, not everyone in the country was nearly as welcoming as their government.

"You're not wanted around here, freak!" One voice yelled from an alleyway around the corner from them.

"Yeah," came a second voice. "Go back to Mutt Town where your kind belongs. Better yet, just get outta Australia."

Rose reacted first, but CJ was less than a step behind her as she turned the corner to find three large men accosting a couple of visible mutants. "Is there a problem, gents?"

The leader of the trio and apparently the first speaker they heard. "None o' y'r business. Move along. Ya don't want none o' this."

"I disagree." Rose morphed, revealing her real appearance.

"Get 'em!" The leader made the biggest mistake of his life.

Rose ducked under the first blow, striking the nerve cluster in the man's arm pit, paralyzing his arm. He made a clumsy swing with his off hand, with the same results. Rose head butted her opponent, breaking his nose, then planted her knee where it would be most effective. The man collapsed into a mewling, puking heap.

Knowing Rose could not only take care of herself, but would actually be mad if he interfered, CJ teleported in, took the couple by the hand, then teleported them to the street away from the fight. By the time he turned around, the second man was on the ground, crying and clutching a knee that was bent the wrong direction and the third was running for his life, leaving an acrid odor in his wake from both wetting and soiling himself.

"Stand down!" CJ's command voice caused Rose to pull up just as she was about to run the fleeing man down.

At first, she glared at him, but then nodded curtly and pulled out her cell phone to call for an ambulance. They waited with the extremely grateful couple until the sound of sirens reached them.

"Tell them what happened," CJ instructed them, "and tell them that X-Force saved you. If they want corroborating evidence, they know how to reach us. We're licensed to operate in Australia."

As the lights of the vehicles came around the corner, CJ took Rose's arm, bent space around them so they disappeared and calmly strolled away to resume their date.

"That was invigorating." Rose laughed as they reached their destination. "I even worked up a bit of an appetite."

CJ shook his head, but couldn't resist a smile. "You're incorrigible. You do know that, don't you?"

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "And you wouldn't have it any other way."

He turned to meet the kiss with his lips. "You're right."

Her eyes twinkled. "Besides, I come by it naturally. It's genetics."

His look told her he didn't buy that, but he let it slide. He knew she didn't buy it either. Whatever Rose Logan might be, she wasn't her parents. She wasn't even close.

"So," he asked as they sat down with their ice cream, "how's it feel to be the mother of three at the ripe old age of fifteen?"

"Aunt," she corrected him.

He smiled mischievously over his spoon. "Aunts can usually turn their nieces over to parents at the end of the day."

"I'm special."

"That you are."

"I never intended to take responsibility for any of them." She looked down.

He reached across the table and took her hand. "I know. They needed you and you couldn't let them down. It's one of the many, many things I love about you."

She smiled. "What should I do?"

He pulled her hand gently toward him and kissed it. "Exactly what you are doing. It's the only thing you can do. I just want you to be careful. There actually _are_ decent people in the world who aren't you who can and would love to take responsibility for orphaned mutant kids. Some of them even live at the Helix."

His tone changed quickly. "Raven and Charlie are family and Jenny is special. You're probably the only thing holding her together after what she's been through. It's hard not to love any of them. I already do and when you and I get married, they'll become even more a part of my life than they already are."

She stopped short at that. "Married? You haven't even proposed to me yet."

He grinned. "Take a look in the bottom of your bowl."

Blinking in disbelief, Rose lifted the ice cream with the back of her spoon and scooped out a hot fudge and hot caramel covered ring. CJ spatially separated it from the confection and slid it on her finger.

"Rose Logan," he said solemnly, "I've loved you since we were kids. I know the world is in a mess and we're fighting for our lives on a daily basis, but whatever the future brings, I want to spend it with you. You are what I fight for."

She started to tear up, then grabbed the back of his head and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. "I'll tell you this much, Boy Scout. You're one crazy romantic, but you got style."

As their foreheads continued to touch in the wake of the kiss, he laughed. "I'm going to assume that means you're answer is yes."

She kissed the tip of his nose. "Of course it is, you loon."

He leaned back. "It will have to be a long engagement. I spoke to the Colonel before our last mission; he is your godfather and legal guardian, after all. He made me promise to hold off on the actual wedding at least until we're both eighteen. I figure we've known this was coming for so long; three more years will be a piece of cake. Besides, I want your father to walk you down the aisle when the day comes."

She was still surprisingly lost for words, so he continued. "Cassie and May are already making plans for a wedding that will make most royal affairs seem small, so you might need to rein them in a little if you want something smaller."

She almost wanted to slap her head. "I wondered why Cassie was so willing to babysit. She usually has plans for the first night after a mission; plans that involve a live band, a lot of lights, a dance floor and at least a half dozen dance partners."

He laughed. "I had to promise to get you back early so she can get some dancing in later."

"That sounds like her." She winked at him. "Tell you what, why don't we finish these sundaes and head back home to celebrate this engagement in private."

He choked slightly at the thought. "The way Col. Fury has the Helix bugged, there's no such thing there . . . not for you, anyway. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if he was watching us right now."

She loved the old warhorse, but knew CJ was right. "It'll just keep you honest until we're married. I am a lady, after all. When I walk down that aisle, I intend to be able to wear white without a twinge of guilt."

He reached across and wiped up a drop of ice cream from the corner of her mouth with a finger then tasted it. "Yes. You are definitely a lady and I wouldn't have it any other way. Doesn't mean we can't enjoy each others' company . . . up to a point. Hormones aside, we've had to grow up fast. We're a heck of a lot more mature than most fifteen and sixteen year olds."

She nodded and stole a bite of his ice cream. "Doesn't mean we're immune to the same mistakes."

He finished his dessert. "Just means we're aware of what's happening and can be on guard. Besides . . . cold showers are good for the soul."

They returned to the Helix a half hour later. When they relieved Cassie, they found all three girls sleeping on Rose's bed. Rose didn't have the heart to disturb them, so she covered them up and kissed each of them.

"I'll sleep in my old easy chair," she told CJ. "Looks like we'll have to delay the engagement celebration for tomorrow night."

"Who says?" He took her hand and pulled her over to the chair where they curled up together, held each other and talked until they eventually fell asleep.

The next morning, Fury held the mission debriefing. "Two hundred mutant prisoners now in safe houses, another camp shut down, a whole bunch of Sentinels on the scrap heap and a major monkey wrench in one of the US government's pet projects; not bad for a days work."

Several of the kids high fived each other, but Fury wasn't through. "Don't let it go t' y'r heads. Ya ain't even run into any real opposition yet, and ya better believe that the way you're makin' a name for yourselves, it's only a matter of time before one of them erector sets lasts long enough to get a read on you. Once that happens, they'll start equipping Sentinels with weapons designed t' deal with ya. That's assumin' ya don't run into a Nimrod. One Nimrod is worth a dozen Alphas and a whole company of Omegas."

CJ nodded. "We know the risks, sir. The circuitry in our uniforms interferes with the Sentinels' genetic scanners, but all it would take is one mistake. That's why we train so hard."

Nick frowned. "Your parents trained hard too."

"We're not our parents." Cassie's tone was adamant. "Our parents didn't have five Omega class mutants. Even May, Rose, Brian and Nick are more powerful than most of the old X-Men. Besides, they didn't have you training them."

Fury huffed. "Anyway, ya did good. The only diversion from the plan was havin' t' rescue the kid and ya even handled that right. I'm proud of ya."

His demeanor changed. "Now, we gotta talk 'bout the next mission. Rose wants t' infiltrate Traskorp Plaza in order to find out where they're holdin' her father."

Nick didn't like it. "That's a suicide mission."

"I agree," CJ admitted, "but she has a plan that just might work. It's still a bigger risk than I want to take, but it's not guaranteed suicide."

Rose quickly filled the rest of the team in on her plan, then concluded. "If I do it right, they'll never know I was inside."

Scott considered. "We'll need some seriously advanced masking tech to get you past their security. That means advanced by my terms."

Rose smiled. "You up to it?"

He rose to the challenge. "My parents ran surveillance on that building, but decided the risk was too high. They have Nimrod caliber scanners at all entrances. Not only will you have to convince them you're not a mutant, you'll need to convince them that you are who you're pretending to be. That's right down to the genetic level. Even the slightest glitch and they'll be all over you."

He continued. "Once inside, all communications are monitored and all outside wireless communications are blocked. They also have psychic dampers on each floor. Once you're inside, you'll be on your own. They use all kinds of biometrics, including voice print analysis. That's not even considering the passwords needed to get into many sections of the building."

He smiled. "To answer your question, however, yes. I most definitely am up to it. I already have several ideas. It'll just take me some time to perfect the technology. Nothing less than perfect will do, of course. I'll need every bit of information on the person you choose to replace; finger prints, retina patterns, voice print, genetic sample, you name it."

Nick pulled a laptop from the dimensional pocket beneath his duster. "If you're bound and determined to do this, I think I may have a candidate. Her name is Jessica Huntington. She's the head of IT at the Plaza. She made an appearance at a tech conference last month; standing in for Trask. The Underground was there and gathered some background data on her. She has to have access to practically every section of the facility in order to do her job and no one would think anything about her moving around."

Rose looked over his shoulder. "That could work. She has no close relatives and lives alone. Her loyalty to the corporation has to be beyond reproach if she's representing Trask at a convention. At the same time, she's not high enough on the food chain to qualify for full time security."

CJ couldn't disagree, but wasn't even close to satisfied yet. "We're going to need a lot more data on her before we commit to anything. The Underground can do the preliminary leg work, but to get the kind of info we need, we'll need to head to New York and take care of it personally."

Fury shook his head. "Y'r a long way from bein' ready f'r another field trip. Let th' Underground do their work, then see where ya stand an' what ya need. In th' meantime, we need to set you up some safe houses in th' area, not t' mention contacts, cover identities, th' works."

"We'll also need to run simulations in the Danger Room," CJ added. "That includes rescue scenarios in case everything goes wrong."

Rose had no delusions. "If anything goes wrong, there won't be any rescue. I know that going in. You guys won't even know I'm in trouble until it's too late. I'll be dead before you can do anything, so there will be no suicide missions to reclaim my body."

CJ wasn't buying that. "Doesn't mean we don't prepare for the possibility that a rescue could be possible. Like Captain Kirk, I don't believe in no-win scenarios. We'll need a way to know if you get into trouble. Scott, can you come up with something?"

Scott considered. "I'm thinking a chip hidden in her clothes; undetectable until activated, which happens the second her vital signs go above or below certain levels. Then it sends a burst transmission to us with her vitals and location on a frequency they can't block. They'll know a transmission was sent, but if this thing activates, the fecal refuse will not only have already encountered the oscillating cooling unit at high velocity. It will be splattered all over the walls."

Brian had a question. "Just how good are their psi-screens?"

"The best available," Scott told him. "I know what you're thinking, but even if you could get through them, they'd detect the intrusion."

Brian responded. "I'd only try it if she was in trouble and by then it wouldn't matter if they detected it or not."

CJ nodded. "It's worth training for the possibility. Can we duplicate the same frequency and strength screens in the Danger Room?"

"Not a problem." Scott came back. "I'll want to train to overcome their security measures as well. Again, there's no way I could do it undetected, so it won't be much use unless Rose gets caught, but it could save the mission if not her life if it comes down to it."

Michael had the next idea. "Are they on the city's power grid? If so, how fast would the internal generators we know they have to have kick in?"

Scott shook his head. "No joy there. They're completely self contained power wise."

Michael smiled viciously. "Even better. What kind of power source do they have and what would I have to do to safely disable it?"

Scott saw where he was going. "I don't know where they got it, but my parents' report says they have a Shi'Ar fusion generator in the sub-basement. It's shielded and surrounded by some powerful defenses. We'll set up some simulations to see if you can phase through them. Of course, once you do, you'll set off alarms throughout the building and only have seconds to disrupt it and get out."

"This all assumes they haven't upgraded since your parents did their research," Nick put the wet blanket on the enthusiasm. "It's been a couple of years at least. A lot of things can change in that time."

"True." Scott admitted. "On the other hand, we have the advantage that a lot of their technology is so bleeding edge that they barely understand what it does, much less how it works. The Shi'Ar generator is a good example. Upgrades simply aren't possible for most of the alien tech. Even I don't fully understand some of it and I'm way smarter than their biggest brain."

"Braggart," Cassie taunted.

He smiled. "It's not bragging if it's true. By the way, the same problem applies to a lot of the tech they stole from Richards, Stark, SHIELD, AIM and Hydra. Having and using it doesn't mean they understand, much less can improve on it . . . or even repair it in some cases."

"In the meantime," Brian suggested, "we can have some of the more subtle Underground telepaths in the area do some scans on the minds of Traskorp employees outside the tower. They could supply us with more detailed idea on the building's layout, defenses and personnel. As long as they look and don't try to alter, there should be no way to detect the intrusion."

"Good idea." Fury nodded. "Sounds like we have several options to test out, so have a good lunch. We hit the Danger Room at one."

The next two weeks were busy. When the kids of X-Force weren't pursuing their normal studies or sleeping, they were in the Danger Room preparing for their upcoming mission. During this time, the Manhattan cells of the Mutant Underground were hard at work gathering the information they would need and setting up safe houses.

Thousands of digital photographs were taken of Jessica Huntington from every angle and distance possible. Every time she left the Traskorp Plaza, every word she spoke was digitally recorded. Her apartment and home computer were bugged. Everything she did when not at work was monitored and the collated data sent to the Helix.

"I've mastered her retinal patterns, finger prints, biometrics and computer passwords," Rose said, finally. "I know everything there is to know about her; including reports from several extremely subtle telepaths. I've mastered her walk, speech patterns and body language. I've memorized files on every friend and co-worker she interacts with regularly. I know who she likes and who she pretends to like and just puts up with; the names and details of every person in her department and in the company hierarchy. I bet I know her better than she even knows herself."

Scott pulled out a box containing a bracelet. "This is identical to one she wears regularly and doesn't have to remove to get through the various scanners and metal detectors. The circuitry inside is invisible to even Nimrod class sensors. It works a lot like our standard masking tech, but instead of just hiding your mutant signature, it superimposes her signature over your body. I even impressed myself with this one. In addition to the masking and spoofing circuitry, it monitors your heart beat and bio signs. If they go above or below the programmed parameters, an alert will be sent on a frequency they can't block. Since you know how to consciously control all that, you can manually send the alert as easily as you can keep yourself from accidentally sending it."

Rose took the bracelet and looked it over as Scott continued. "Avenger and I have done as much information gathering as possible through intermediaries without being onsite. Some non-mutant resistance members with federal government connections were able to get into the lower security sections of the building under cover of running a surprise security review of the facility. This was made possible by the fact that they actually had the proper credentials for the job. They confirmed a great deal of what we suspected about their security; including the caliber of their mutant sensors and psi-dampeners."

"If we want any more info," Avenger submitted, "we'll need to get our own feet dirty. The underground can only do so much without risking exposure. The rest is up to us. In my opinion, there are still too many things that we don't know, but we're not going to learn them from here."

CJ took over. "We spent the last two weeks training to overcome the security at the Plaza. Seraph has proven he can cut through their psi-dampeners at least well enough to guide me. Askani is convinced he can penetrate their cyber-security and even crash the system at need. Dragon knows what he has to do to shut down their power core; even permanently. We've run through rescue scenarios until I can reliably get in and out with Predator in less than ten seconds."

He paused and focused on Col. Fury who would make the final decision. "Barring a disaster, Predator will get in and out without being detected. If the need arises, however, the four of us will be the core team. Avenger, Corvette, Arachne and Lioness will be the distraction team; hitting a nearby SHIELD facility and hopefully drawing away at least a portion of the response force. It's not a perfect plan, but then nothing is. What it is is the only chance we have of locating where they're holding Wolverine."

Brian held his peace as long as he could, but finally had to ask the question everyone else seemed to be avoiding. "I don't want to be a party pooper and I'm not saying we should consider not doing this, but what if we don't find his location there? We're taking a huge risk on rather short odds."

"I considered that." Rose wasn't put off by the question. "Even if we don't find out anything about where my dad is, we have a shot at getting an incredible amount of data from them. We've got back doors into a lot of government systems, but getting one into Traskorp could open doors we don't even know exist yet. I won't say I'd be doing this if access to data was the only thing we were likely to get out of it, but combined with the only real chance we have of finding my father, this mission's more than worth the risk."

Elbows resting on the table, Fury stared at the nine teenagers over the hands folded in front of his face. They were so young and yet not young at all. Life refused to let them be kids; forced them to grow up long before their time.

He wished vainly for like the millionth time that he had an alternative to sending them into the breach like this. Wishing for the impossible was unlike him. There was no alternative. SHIELD, at least the SHIELD he knew, was no more. It was under new management and reduced to a cog in the wheels that threatened to grind anyone with super powers into dust. Most of the agents he trained were dead. The heroes he'd worked with for so many years were gone as well.

These nine kids were all that stood between the country he loved and the mad men who were determined to turn it into a fascist dictatorship in all but name. This fact, however, did no more to soothe his conscience than the fact that all of them would be doing this with or without him. He was really getting too old for this.

"Ya have a go." It wasn't really a choice. "I want daily reports and I still reserve the right to put the kibosh on this whole mess if I think anything is hinky. Good luck an' stay frosty."

All Rose had left was telling the girls she was leaving. As hard as it would be with Raven and Charlie, Jenny was the one she was worried about. This was the first time since she found her in that bastard's quarters that they would be separated. Her first stop was Anna Kaufman's office.

"Tell her straight," Anna suggested once Rose told her what was happening. "Be gentle, but don't sugar coat it . . . and whatever you do, don't lie to her. I don't need to tell you that, of course."

Rose thanked Anna, then went looking for the girls. She wasn't surprised to find them together. Raven and Charlie had always been joined at the hip, and readily expanded their personal collective to include Jenny.

"Hey, girls." She smiled affectionately. "You three staying out of trouble?"

"What fun is that?" Charlie asked and Rose didn't have to ask where the precocious six year old learned that response; she learned it from Rose herself.

Jenny giggled, but Raven smiled so innocently Rose knew they were up to something. "We've been good."

Rose laughed and hugged all three of them. "Gather around girls. We need to have a family talk. The team and I are going to New York in the morning. We could be gone a couple of weeks and you won't be able to reach me until we get back. Raven, you and Charlie know how this works, but it's Jenny's first time, so I'm going to need you two to help her."

She turned to the now frightened eight year old. "Jenny, you remember what I told you that night in the camp?"

"You said you'd never leave me." The child was close to tears.

Rose took her into her arms. "That's right. I also said that even if you didn't see me, I'd be there. It doesn't matter where I go or how long I have to be gone, I'm never not going to be there for you girls. I can be on the other side of the world, but my heart will still be right here with you."

She paused. "In the meantime, Anna and Dr. Hank and the Colonel are going to be here to take care of you, like Ophelia was in that camp; so will Raven and Charlie."

"You promise to come home?" Her lip trembled a little.

Rose pulled all three girls in close. "Of course I will. I'll always come home to you girls."

They continued the embrace for several minutes until Jenny relaxed. When Rose left the next morning, all three girls were there to see her off. Anna stood with them, projecting calm and reassurance as much for the Rose's benefit as for the girls. Rose managed to keep from crying until the team appeared next to the massive hole that had once been the Xavier mansion. While the other seven found things to do anywhere but right there, CJ held Rose and let her cry.

"They'll be fine," he promised her.

"I know." She sniffed. "I just can't help but worry that this might be the last time I see them. They'll be fine, but let's be honest, boy scout. I'd never admit this to anyone else, but I know that even with all our precautions and training the odds are stacked pretty high against us this time. If it comes to a choice between my life and my father's freedom, I know which option I'll choose regardless the consequences."

He turned her around and grasped her gently by the shoulders. "No talking like that. There's no way I'm going to let anything happen to you. Every member of this team has your back and I'd put us up against just about anything Trask has to put against us. No one gets left behind. We all go home from this or none of us do. Besides, you aren't getting out of marrying me that easy."

She hugged him and let him kiss her insecurity away. By the time the underground arrived to take them into Manhattan, she was calm and focused once again. This would work. It had to.


End file.
